Booking Day at a New Launch: EOI, Ballot, Queue and How to Choose Your Unit
What actually happens on a Singapore new-launch booking day: submitting an EOI, how the ballot and queue work, picking a unit against the clock, backup plans, paperwork, and the steps from OTP to S&P.
Most guides treat booking day as a single line in the buying process. In reality it is a compressed, sometimes nerve-racking few hours where preparation matters more than luck. This guide focuses on the day itself: how the Expression of Interest (EOI), ballot and queue usually work, how to choose a unit when the clock is running, and what paperwork follows, including how an Option to Purchase in Singapore works. It is written with LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences) in mind, the private condo planned at the Hougang Central integrated development, though the process applies to most large Singapore launches.
For the overall sequence from registration to preview to completion, see our showflat and launch page. Here we go deeper on the day you actually pick a unit.
Step 1: The Expression of Interest
For well-anticipated projects, developers usually open an EOI window after the preview. An EOI tells the developer which unit types you are interested in and typically needs a cheque or cashier’s order for an amount the developer sets. It is not a purchase, and it is not a reservation of a specific unit.
What to check when you submit an EOI:
- Names on the EOI. Submit in the names you intend to buy under. Changing buyers later can be difficult or impossible, and co-owners affect stamp duty.
- Unit-type preferences. Some launches run separate queues or allocations by unit type. Know which you are indicating.
- The cheque terms. Confirm the payee, the amount and what happens to the cheque if you do not buy.
- Limits. Developers may cap EOIs per person or per household. Read the terms rather than assuming.
Step 2: Condo balloting and the queue
When EOIs exceed what can be served comfortably, a ballot decides the order in which buyers are called. Your ballot number is effectively your place in line. Earlier numbers see a fuller balance chart; later numbers choose from what is left.
A few realities worth knowing:
- A late number is not a lost cause. Many early buyers target the same popular stacks and unit types. Good units in less-contested stacks often remain.
- Timing is unpredictable. You may be told a time slot, but queues can run faster or slower. Plan to be available for the full window.
- Some launches skip the ballot. Smaller or slower-selling projects may run a straightforward first-come, first-served booking. Your agent will confirm which format applies.
Step 3: Your shortlist, built before the day
The single biggest mistake on booking day is choosing on impulse. Once the developer releases the price list, build a ranked shortlist at home, not in the sales gallery.
A practical structure is three tiers:
- Tier A (dream units): two or three specific units, with unit numbers, prices and your walk-away ceiling.
- Tier B (strong alternatives): three to five units in a different stack or floor band that still meet your needs.
- Tier C (acceptable): units in another stack or a different unit type that fit your budget, or a decision that you will walk away.
Spread each tier across different stacks. If every choice sits in the same stack, one popular stack selling out can wipe out your whole list. Our stack selection guide covers facing, noise and views at an integrated site like Hougang Central, and our guide to reading the price list and charts explains how to spot value on paper.
Step 4: Choosing a unit when your number is called
When you are called, you will usually sit with your agent and a developer representative in front of the live balance-unit chart. Units sold in earlier rounds are marked off. Expect to have limited time to decide.
- Check your shortlist against the chart first. Cross out what has gone before you start debating.
- Stick to your ceiling. The price you set at home, including stamp duty, is the price you set when you were calm.
- Agree the decision-maker in advance. If buying jointly, decide beforehand who has the final say if you disagree at the table.
- Do not chase the last unit in a hot stack. Scarcity on the day does not make a unit better value.
- Walking away is allowed. If nothing on the chart matches your Tier C, leaving without buying is a sound result, not a failure.
Step 5: The 5% booking fee and your Option to Purchase in Singapore
Once you choose, you pay the 5% booking fee and receive the Option to Purchase (OTP). This first 5% must be paid in cash or by cheque; CPF cannot be used for it.
| Illustrative price | 5% booking fee | BSD (for reference) |
|---|---|---|
| S$1,270,000 | S$63,500 | S$35,400 |
| S$1,700,000 | S$85,000 | S$54,600 |
Illustrative prices based on indicative sizes and analyst estimates of S$2,500–2,600 psf, not official prices. BSD shown for Singapore Citizens buying a first home (ABSD 0%). Verify with IRAS.
Before you hand over the cheque, check the OTP carefully: unit number, block, floor, strata area, price, buyer names and the payment scheme selected. Errors are far easier to fix at the table than afterwards.
What to bring
- NRIC or passport for every buyer on the purchase
- Cheque book or cashier’s order for the 5% (confirm the payee)
- Your bank’s In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter
- Your printed shortlist with tiers, prices and ceilings
- A calculator or your phone with the stamp duty calculator open
If a co-buyer cannot attend, ask the developer ahead of time what arrangement is acceptable. Do not assume a phone call on the day is enough.
After booking: from OTP to S&P
Booking day is the start of the legal process, not the end. In a typical launch:
- The developer sends the Sale and Purchase Agreement (S&P) to you or your conveyancing lawyer.
- You generally have about three weeks to sign and exercise the option. Use this period to finalise your loan and appoint a lawyer.
- Stamp duty is due within 14 days of exercising the option. Plan to pay BSD, and ABSD if it applies, in cash first; CPF Ordinary Account savings may be used to reimburse BSD where eligible.
- The next 15% is usually due within about eight weeks of the OTP date, after which payments follow construction stages. See our progressive payment guide.
If you decide not to proceed and let the option lapse, part of the booking fee is typically forfeited under the standard developer OTP terms. Read the forfeiture clause before you pay, and ask your lawyer if anything is unclear.
A backup plan if the day goes badly
Sometimes your number comes too late, or prices come in above your ceiling. Options include waiting for later release phases, considering a different unit type, or reassessing against resale choices nearby. Launch-weekend sell-through at comparable projects has been strong; Parktown Residence, based on reported transaction data, sold about 87% of its 1,193 units on launch weekend. That does not mean LinkTown Residences will do the same, but it is a reason to prepare thoroughly and keep your backups realistic.
If you would like to receive the price list, EOI details and booking-day arrangements as soon as they are announced, register your interest.
Launch procedures, EOI terms, ballot arrangements and prices for LinkTown Residences have not been announced. The process described is typical of Singapore new launches and may differ. Stamp duty and payment rules as published; verify with IRAS, CPF Board and your lawyer. This is general information, not financial or legal advice.
